Ditching-spade



(No Model.)

L. IWAN.

DITGHING SPADE.

No. 573,597. Patented Dec. 22, 1896.

Eli, 77 91; m H mm I IouzS 121327,

I) m momma, wwamcrm, a c.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS IIVAN, OF STREATOR, ILLINOIS.

DlTCHlNG-SPADE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 573,597, dated December 22, 1896.

Application filed June 8, 1895- Serial No. 552,105. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS IWAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Streator, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ditching-Spades, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of ditching-spades in which the blade of the implement is of skeleton shape, to present the least possible surface area for the adhesion of the soil dug by it and to render the blade open for readily draining off through it the water taken up in the soil.

The primary object of my invention is to improve the blade of a ditching-spade of the variety referred to in matters of detail, whereby the blade shall be provided with an especially desirable construction of extended footstep, formed as an integral part of the blade, to afford a better purchase to the foot of the user in digging, the construction avoiding front and back flanges on the upper edge of the blade, which, when provided, afiord attaching-surfaces for clay and mucky soil; whereby the point of the blade shall be strengthened, and whereby the back of the blade shall be adapted to facilitate its penetration into the soil being dug.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows my improved ditching-spade by a view in front elevation. Fig. 2 is a section taken at the line 2 on Fig. 1, viewed in the direction of the arrow and enlarged Fig. 3, a section taken at the line 3 on Fig. 1, viewed in the direction of the arrow and enlarged; and Fig. at, a view showing the blade in rear elevation.

A is the blade, formed in one piece, of steel, of the general concavo-convex form in crosssection represented by Figs. 2 and 3. At opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the blade the metal is omitted, afiording elongated openings 7' and 1-, having the straight sides illustrated, the straight upper ends with slightly-rounded corners, and the roundedlyconverging edges at the lower ends, whereby the junction of the bars 1), p, and 19 formed by the openings 7 and r, with the point or cutting end 0 of the blade is expanded, as shown at 'n, n, and 02 there to strengthen the blade thus at points where it is subjected to the greatest strain in the prizing operation in digging. The upper end of the blade is in the form of a concavo-convex cross-bar m, flat on its upper side and beveled on its rear side, as shown at 2 in a downward and forward direction to form a narrow edge along its under side, the better to penetrate and shed the soil, and the front and rear sides of the bar m are flush with the adjacent surfaces of the blade. The opposite ends of the bar m, to which the handle Bis attached, (as by engagement with a socket q, extending outward from the center ofthe bar,) are extended outward beyond the side bars 19 and p to afford foot-steps m and m beveled on their rear sides, as shown at o, from the outer ends to their junction with the side bars, which latter, as also the central bar 19, are substantially V-shaped in cross-section, with the apices extending along their backs, the better to adapt the bars for cutting, and the beveled sides 12 of the foot-steps form, practically, outwardly-curved continuations of the outer beveled sides of the bars 12 and p Byv my improved construction thus described the spade is rendered peculiarly strong and easy of action in digging the soil and cleaning itself in throwing ofi the soil it has dug, and the extensions of the top bar,affording the foot-steps, which latter are useful also on the blades of other varieties of spades and shovels, facilitate digging by presenting expanded fiat purchase-surfaces, each for a foot of the operator.

hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a ditching-spade, the blade A, concavoconvex in cross-section and formed with the cutting end 0, openings '2 and a", and longitudinal bars 1), p and p at the sides of said openings, said bars having the expanded j unctions n, n and n, with said cutting end and being substantially V-shaped in cross-section with the apices extending along their backs, and the bar m at the upper end of said longitudinal bars, beveled on its rear side and flush with the front and rear surfaces of the blade and provided with end extensions having the beveled surfaces 0 and forming footsteps m and m, as and for the purpose set forth.

LOUIS IIVAN.

In presence of GEORGE W. Rosa, THEO. ROCKENFELLER. 

